By Sylvester Thompson
Nigerian students have dominated the Innovation, STEM, and Partnerships for Inclusive and Relevant Education (INSPIRE) project national innovation challenge showcase, emerging as young tech leaders.
Two hundred students in the junior and senior secondary categories, with 20 Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) teachers across the six geo-political zones, converged on Abuja on Tuesday at the INSPIRE Project finals.
Several schools showcased their projects, among them were scalable inventions and innovations, to inspire the next generation.
Three Senior Secondary School students from Government Girls’ Science Secondary School, Kuje, Abuja, led by Deborah Oyelohunnu invented the solar water heater.
Demonstrating how their innovation works and what inspired them, the students said they embarked on the projects in their boarding houses due to lack of access to hot water.
“So, we decided to provide a solution to our needs by inventing the solar water heater which works with direct sunlight after the copper inside a glass box absorbed heat from the sun,” Oyelohunnu told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN).
Six students from Junior Secondary School, Dutse Sagwan, led by Sadiya Muhammed innovated the automatic solar security light.
Muhammed told NAN that she got inspired to develop the automatic solar security light when a thief burgled their home and stole all the phones in the house.
“I realised that the problem in my community was lack of automatic solar security light.
“If there was automatic solar security light, then it would had sensed that thief and given us an alert,’’ she said.
The INSPIRE Project is funded by the ExxonMobil Foundation and delivered through a strategic partnership between the TechWomen Alumni Association Nigeria and PanAfricare Nigeria.
Nigel Cookey-Gam, Community Relations Manager, ExxonMobil Nigeria, remarked that the project enhanced the STEM knowledge of both students and teachers.
He said there was great anticipation about what the students have done so far, expressing optimism that the project, as an intervention programme, would catalyse and contribute to the advancement of technology in the country.
“We hope that the children themselves have been inspired so that they can inspire the next generation,” he said.
Dr Carolyn Seaman, President of TechWomen Alumni, remarked that the project was set to bridge a critical resource gap in STEM education.
“We promised to reach the underserved, to empower girls, and to include students with disabilities.
“We have moved the need of student interest in STEM from a baseline of 40 per cent to a staggering 88 per cent.
“Our classrooms are now vibrant hubs of diversity, with 66.1 per cent female participation, and a successful inclusion of students with disabilities,’’ she said.
Lee MacManis, Country Public Diplomacy Counselor, U.S. Embassy, Abuja, said that America’s exchange programmes deliver results as proven by the INSPIRE Project.
He said that in less than one year, the programme reached 123,000 students, trained 105 teachers, and turned 14 schools into innovative hubs.
“That’s the kind of measurable impact that advances both America and Nigerian interests.
“To the Nigerian educators, we invite you to replicate this model in your schools. TechWomen Alumni have proven it works,’’ he said.
Terfa Akpoyibo, Project Manager of INSPIRE, told NAN that people needed adequate resources to learn STEM adding that there was need to bridge the resource gap.
He said the INSPIRE Project trained teachers, provided laboratory equipment, with innovative tools like virtual reality, robotics, 3D printing among others.
He said they donated to selected junior and senior secondary schools across 14 schools in order to inspire them in a knowledge-based economy. (NAN)(www.nannews.ng)
Edited by Uche Anunne
